Hello,
I recently acquired a Sony Z5C, planning on switching to LineageOS sooner or later, but the android tweking world is way more complex than I initially imagined. I am mostly concerned about privacy and control but there is so much to go through I am completely lost. I thought it was all about running either Sony's rom or the lineageos rom but there seems to be a lot more to take into account.
What I am looking for:
getting rid of Sony's annoying bloatware
getting rid of Google Play Services
automatic or semi automatic security updates
fine tuning of application permissions (including ability to deny specific apps access to, say, my location, contact list, camera, internet, sms, without the apps noticing they have been denied access in the first place)
ads and trackers blocking (for instance global or per-application blacklisting of known "evil" domains)
being able to restore everything as it was when I purchased the phone
f-droid begin able to download and install updates without manual intervention
as little side effects as possible resulting from the deletion of the Google Play Services
Icing on the cake:
no loss in camera quality (I read somewhere it is sometimes possible to use image-enhancing algorithms despite having deleted the required DRM keys)
no loss in gps accuracy
same battery life (or better)
encompassing all data traffic of specific apps through tor or another technology preserving distant services from identifying me and my mobile network operator from knowing I access said services
Questions:
What is the difference between opengapps and microg? How does it relate with lineage? At which point in the installation process is it involved?
What are the consequences of rooting the device?
What is the purpose of so called "Magisk"? I read it "changes everything" but I have no idea what "everythin" was. As far as I understand, it is useful to fake a genuine configuration that have not been tempered with in order to use Google Pay or some games. I do not seem to care about that: should I? Is there more to know?
Most important question: in your opinion, considering the above points, the phone I have, current trends and hindsight, and your experience, what would be the best way to go? Should I follow the installation steps on the official lineageos page for the Z5C or do you think another option would suit me better?
To illustrate my technical knowledge: I have been a gnu/linux user for almost a decade but I am completely ignorant of the Android world and feel lost. In particular the concept of "root" and how user and system data is organized on the filesystem(s) (especially on Sony devices) seem different. I am willing to learn and get technical, but there is too much information and I do not know where to start with zero experience.
Thank you very much for your help.
I am in same situation. Did things like that for Moto and Samsung already, but I am new to Sony.
Key is to install TWRP. This is some kind of recovery where you can
- make a backup
- install LOS
- recall backups.
Once this is done:
- install root/su
- tingle the framework (to get microG running)
- install microG
- install afwall (firewall)
- install adaware
only than plugin a SIM and/or enable Wifi.
So: first thing is to install TWRP
unlock Bootloader:
To be able to unlock your Xperia Z5 Compact, prepare it by following these steps:
Go into Settings > About phone and tap seven times on Build number to enable developer options.
From Settings, go into Developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
Warning: Device protection features will not work on this device while this setting is turned on.Please note! It will only be possible to unlock the boot loader for certain releases. You can check if it is possible to unlock the boot loader of your device in the service menu by following the steps below:
In your device, open the dialer and enter *#*#7378423#*#* to access the service menu.
Tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked.
TWRP
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/twrp-twrp-3-2-1-z5-compact-t3748952
A few words to your queston:
opengapps are not open source, they just add normal google apps to Custom Roms. With all pros and cons.
MicroG is offering some kind of api, so that most features can be used (notification, google maps, access to playstore).
They are installed after the custom rom. Some people don't install any of them, use FDroid as a store.
root gives you the chance to change settings, for a few advanced configurations it is required (or makes it easier): firewall, ad remove ...
No experience with magisk. It is another way of "rooting" it, gives more features (hide the root status) which is required for some games. Not needed it til now.
What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny
Aeny said:
What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but didn't you need TWRP to make a backup. And that is on my list, first point. Or is it a special step to do?
Thank you for your help and valuable information which now raises even more questions
If I get things right TWRP is low level stuff that would allow me to backup and restore the system whenever I need to. Say for instance I just installed LOS and configured it as desired so I use TWRP to get a backup and if I later mess things up I can restore this backup without having to go through the whole installation and configuration process? How does the official LineageOS installation guide fit in all this, sould I follow it? Do I need to follow a completely different procedure? I am not planning to tinker anympre once everything has been set up, is TWRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.
fetchaspade said:
WRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, highly recommended if not even required. All my LOS setups run via TWRP.
fetchaspade said:
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Don't know where do I need this DRM keys for, as I did't faced off this with other mobiles.
I think you have to make a backup of the TA partition:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/
fetchaspade said:
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
addsu is to flash via TWRP in same manner like LOS itself - as a zip. Others are regualar applications (installed like that) but required root privileges to work. No root password required. Once an app needs it it will ask you, and if you like it remembers you allowed it (so it will ask just once usually). Recommend to try this. You can't do much wrong if you create a backup
fetchaspade said:
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MicroG is a bit more fiddling to install than gapps and seems to has limitations. There are separate threads for just this.
Just start, you will get a feeling for that all.
Edit: But
there is already a lineagos with microG built-in:
https://download.lineage.microg.org/suzuran/
Thank you starbright_
To recap, I am to unlock the bootloader, install TWRP, flash addsu via TWRP, flash lineage enhanced with microg, and I'm good to go.
I'm still stuck on the very first step: backing up the TA partition. If I'm not mistaken I need the TA backup tool which requires root access. Root access requires an unlocked bootloader (which would remove the TA partition and the DRM keys) or is achieved for a limited amount of time thanks to exploits. According to both https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/ and https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/general/guide-how-to-root-z5c-painful-using-t3549388, it won't work on recent versions (7.1.1) so I need to downgrade. How can I do that? I imagine I need a tool to flash an old official rom: where am I to find an old official rom? How can I flash it without having an unlocked bootloader?
Backing up the TA partition really seems cumbersome. Is the loss of quality really noticeable on photos and videos? I find photos quite disappointing already and I fear it would get even worse.
On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).
Maybe you can translate this:
https://reraise.eu/2016/09/05/xperia-z5c-so-sicherst-du-die-ta-partition-teil-1
On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using titanium backup for that.
(menu / backup data to xml)
@fetchaspade
Did you start your project? I would appreciate to take notes of your step. That's not only helping others, but also yourself once you have to do the steps again once.
Related
Forgive my ignorance, but ive never used android before and expecting my phone delivered tomorrow (htc hero! )
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
Ive read about how one can "root" the device by loading a image file thru the bootloader over usb, but i wonder, is there a sudo command or similar to temporarily enable root access and later return to default state?
I suppose i could flash it with the root image, install the app and then flash back the default os image, but that feels pretty awkward procedure and would probably raise a bunch of new problems as how the default os would launch the app installed under another os.
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
After using mac´s for over 20 years ive become too used to stuff just working right out of the box, so i dont feel like experimenting on my own...
There is an option in the settings that lets you install unsigned apps, so no rooting required.
xarvox said:
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly! Many paid apps are copy protected, but most of the free ones are not. Unlike the iPhone, where you can only install "unauthorized" apps if you jail break the device, Android allows you to install and run applications from a variety of sources on a stock device.
In essence, you do not need to root the device to develop for it, but there are certain things that applications can only be done on a rooted device (for example, receiving a file via Bluetooth, WiFi tethering etc).
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, programming errors aside ( ), and as long as you don't need to do anything that requires root privileges, yes you can. You should bear in mind that the *vast* majority of Android devices will not have been rooted, and therefore the vast majority of available applications do not require rooted phones.
Personally, I expect that later Android builds will remove many of the restrictions that require applications to have root access, so that they can function without requiring a device to be rooted.
Regards,
Dave
Ive found a app that would tether my laptop (mac) over wifi, but requires me to root the device.
Is there a way to temporarily do this, install the app and make the neccisary changes and then switch back to default state?
I don't believe so.
As far as I'm aware, the application requires the elevated privileges when it runs as opposed to just configuration changes. I don't think that even a setuid would help, since I believe the app expects to find and use su/sudo.
Regards,
Dave
Hi,
So I was always under the impression that rooting is more dangerous because it lets applications more access to the system and let it perform more actions. However, now that I think about it can't this be handeled by a program that limits permissions?
Or do apps in a rooted phone behave differently than in an unrooted one (ie.can do actions not included in the permission system)?
What about an unrooted phone?
If I install a spyware what information can't it gather that it can on a rooted?
Thank you very much!
oy-ster said:
Hi,
So I was always under the impression that rooting is more dangerous because it lets applications more access to the system and let it perform more actions. However, now that I think about it can't this be handeled by a program that limits permissions?
Or do apps in a rooted phone behave differently than in an unrooted one (ie.can do actions not included in the permission system)?
What about an unrooted phone?
If I install a spyware what information can't it gather that it can on a rooted?
Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.lockergnome.com/android/2013/01/25/how-safe-is-rooting-android-devices/
http://google.about.com/od/socialtoolsfromgoogle/a/root-android-decision.htm
http://www.bullguard.com/bullguard-...ity/mobile-threats/android-rooting-risks.aspx
Thank you for the links, I have alredy enconutered some of them previously (I usually Google before posting ) and they are part of my confusion.
On one hand: http://www.bullguard.com/bullguard-...ity/mobile-threats/android-rooting-risks.aspx says about apps with root access circumvent the security system, on the other: http://google.about.com/od/socialtoolsfromgoogle/a/root-android-decision.htm notes that you can control this access, so why does first warning exists?
Also, do superuser apps can detect every element and limit it accessability? For example, what about malicious code that I recieve from clicking on some pernicious link?
PS. When one of the pages said: "A common practice that people do with "rooted" phones is to flash their ROM's with custom programs." - it meant custom OS/ROM or did it mean the program you are using in order to perform flashing?
Thank you.
upity up.
Hi All,
So I am trying to better understand the Android operating system, specifically in the security section as it seems to be more 'hands off' compared to Windows.
Let me start by saying I am no security engineer in any capacity, but its a field that interests me greatly, and I understand Windows security much more than Linux/Android
I know what root is in Linux, its essentially the system account of Windows, it can do anything, and gaining root on Android is essentially gaining system in Windows, and understandably is a dangerous account to have control of.
I also understand that Android uses a verified boot process, similar to Windows with Secure boot and Bitlocker (When configured correctly)
But for Android this is as far as I go with Security, admittedly its extremely limited is my knowledge of the Android security system, I have heard of SafetyNet APIs and this can control things like Google Pay and some other applications like My EE for example, and seems to be to basically be a verification method to make sure the system is not tampered with.
But I am trying to understand what other security issues can arise with root, on my One plus when the boot loader is unlocked it prompts a warning on boot which is to be expected, it cannot verify the software you install (TWRP, Kernel, System) is safe and untampered with, but what else can happen, specifically from being attacked, maybe during system usage and what steps can be taken to help improve security?
I ask this because I feel more secure on OOS with locked BL, of course, but I also like to add things in like Magisk, V4A and Energized and I am currently deciding which I wish to settle on, Locked OOS or Unlocked OOS with addons.
Can anyone provide any light and tips on the subject? ELI5 or Advanced explanation is welcome
Many Thanks!
Hi!
I am in a similar situation as XDroidie. No security engineer, but I have technical background and I am also very interested in it.
I would like to learn how I can monitor my android system integrity and regular check if it is being tampered.
After some research I have the impression googles safetynet does a good job.(koz.io/inside-safetynet-3).
But I would prefer to live without Google Mobile Services on LineageOS or similar things.
Are there open source mimiks of safetynet, I can use as a personal security checker?
If for some reason I would get forced to use Safetynet, are there methods to check what safetynet does ? Did anybody before?
Thanks for your suggestions in advance!
Gerald
LOS 17.1 is now available and developers say that LOS's own recovery is going to be the preferred recovery.
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
Those two statements brings up an important question: how can users create a full backup of their devices **without** having to root them in order to make backup apps work?
I am not talking about backing up pictures, media, calendars or address books, there are plenty of ways to do this without root access. I am talking about a full backup, including the whole system partition and user data. TWRP was an excellent tool for this job: a backup could be created any time, any where, completely independent whether a PC was near or not. You could even write the backup directly onto a USB storage, and the phone could always be restored as well any where and any time.
That is a feature that I miss very much in LOS's own recovery and to my opinion this is an issue that needs to be solved.
Will this feature be added to LOS recovery in the (near) future? Or are there any other solutions to do a full backup without the need for root access?
dvdram said:
LOS 17.1 is now available and developers say that LOS's own recovery is going to be the preferred recovery.
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
Those two statements brings up an important question: how can users create a full backup of their devices **without** having to root them in order to make backup apps work?
I am not talking about backing up pictures, media, calendars or address books, there are plenty of ways to do this without root access. I am talking about a full backup, including the whole system partition and user data. TWRP was an excellent tool for this job: a backup could be created any time, any where, completely independent whether a PC was near or not. You could even write the backup directly onto a USB storage, and the phone could always be restored as well any where and any time.
That is a feature that I miss very much in LOS's own recovery and to my opinion this is an issue that needs to be solved.
Will this feature be added to LOS recovery in the (near) future? Or are there any other solutions to do a full backup without the need for root access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making a complete system backup requires root and/or custom recovery, period.
That is he way it is, you can't change that. There are no alternatives.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Making a complete system backup requires root and/or custom recovery, period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pardon me, but that is a very harsh answer to a seriously asked question of common interest.
"We take security very seriously"...
Do you know where these words are written?
Maybe you'd like to try looking at this issue this way:
Many users who install LOS, are doing this because of security reasons. Imagine some of these users having bad luck and their phones get compromised by some bogus apps. And then they read an answer like this, telling them nothing different than: sorry, we can't and we won't help you!
And know imagine this:
Users can create snapshots or images of their running systems, with all of their apps included, as well as all necessary accounts, logins and passwords. When the "impossible thing" happens to a device running LOS, they have the option to restore the complete system without having to do a factory reset and without having to reinstall each and every app and the corresponding accounts.
What do you think, which one would please the users of your product more: an answer with an attitude like that one above, or the second possibility?
Furthermore: I was not bagging you to include this possibility. I was asking how this kind of back up could be made in the future, when TWRP won't work with Android 10, and when Google will remove adb. And frankly, I don't see why a recovery made by LOS should not be able to do a task that a third party recovery is capable of. If TWRP developers can put together such a piece of code, I am sure LOS developers should be able to do so as well.
Another possibility would be to reverse Google's decision and to keep adb.
So, from my perspective, there are at least two possible ways of dealing with this. But I am a user, not a developer, and I don't know if or why any one of these possibilities is a bad idea, or if there are really serious arguments against it, or whatever pro or con there might be. I simply don't know about these things and that's why I was asking about it. I am a user who doesn't like having to do a complete re-installation after a crash. And I am pretty sure that I am not the only user with this kind of antipathy.
A polite answer to the question would have included at least a glimpse of explanation why this and why not that.. And an open minded developer would have even cared to discuss about this.
dvdram said:
Pardon me, but that is a very harsh answer to a seriously asked question of common interest.
"We take security very seriously"...
Do you know where these words are written?
Maybe you'd like to try looking at this issue this way:
Many users who install LOS, are doing this because of security reasons. Imagine some of these users having bad luck and their phones get compromised by some bogus apps. And then they read an answer like this, telling them nothing different than: sorry, we can't and we won't help you!
And know imagine this:
Users can create snapshots or images of their running systems, with all of their apps included, as well as all necessary accounts, logins and passwords. When the "impossible thing" happens to a device running LOS, they have the option to restore the complete system without having to do a factory reset and without having to reinstall each and every app and the corresponding accounts.
What do you think, which one would please the users of your product more: an answer with an attitude like that one above, or the second possibility?
Furthermore: I was not bagging you to include this possibility. I was asking how this kind of back up could be made in the future, when TWRP won't work with Android 10, and when Google will remove adb. And frankly, I don't see why a recovery made by LOS should not be able to do a task that a third party recovery is capable of. If TWRP developers can put together such a piece of code, I am sure LOS developers should be able to do so as well.
Another possibility would be to reverse Google's decision and to keep adb.
So, from my perspective, there are at least two possible ways of dealing with this. But I am a user, not a developer, and I don't know if or why any one of these possibilities is a bad idea, or if there are really serious arguments against it, or whatever pro or con there might be. I simply don't know about these things and that's why I was asking about it. I am a user who doesn't like having to do a complete re-installation after a crash. And I am pretty sure that I am not the only user with this kind of antipathy.
A polite answer to the question would have included at least a glimpse of explanation why this and why not that.. And an open minded developer would have even cared to discuss about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your reaction is a very butt-hurt reaction for a question that has been asked AND has been answered many times on this website and could have easily been found by you if you had searched.
Unless, of course, you did search and you did read where it has been answered before and, for whatever reason, you mistakenly thought that you would get a different answer just because you needed it to.
My point was, there is no way to access system partition or data partition without root. This forum is full of posts from other users asking the same thing, they all got the same answer, it can't be done without root or TWRP. Android just does not work that way, it has a linux kernel, which means, everything requires specific permissions and it is not in the best interests of OEM/carriers to allow access to /system and /data that easily and there is no way to give you "limited" access that only allows you to backup the /system and /data. There is only full permissions or none and they will not allow full permissions to the user.
That is entirely the whole point of people like us that find ways of rooting devices and installing custom recovery in the first place, because it is the ONLY way we can access /system and /data to make backups or modifications.
As for your thoughts of whether there will be a "new" way of making backups if adb and TWRP are no longer viable options....
Who knows? None of us will know until that time comes. We will all just have to wait and see if any takes the time to develop a new method.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
dvdram said:
...
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a Server - Client pair software
ADB Server runs in the Android device
ADB Client runs in Windows / Linux / Mac iOS
ADB completely is open source. Hence everyone can grab the source code and compile it matching the target Android OS / computer OS. Manufacturers like Samsung & ZTE actually already provide their build of ADB Client suitable to their Android devices: they don't recommend to make use of universal ADB Client that floats around the WEB.
AFAIK Google announced to remove backup / restore feature from ADB Client, not ADB at whole.
jwoegerbauer said:
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a Server - Client pair software
ADB Server runs in the Android device
ADB Client runs in Windows / Linux / Mac iOS
ADB completely is open source. Hence everyone can grab the source code and compile it matching the target Android OS / computer OS. Manufacturers like Samsung & ZTE actually already provide their build of ADB Client suitable to their Android devices: they don't recommend to make use of universal ADB Client that floats around the WEB.
AFAIK Google announced to remove backup / restore feature from ADB Client, not ADB at whole.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I can't see Google completely removing adb, it is too valuable of a tool for development even for the stuff the carriers and their developers do on their end. Removing it would be like building cars and engines but completely disallowing the production or use of tools to assemble/disassemble the cars or engines.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
My point was, there is no way to access system partition or data partition without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that and I understand that. I've been using Linux on my private and on my working machines for at least 30 years now, and I know about permissions. And I also understand that there are good reasons for not rooting an Android device.
But that is not the point here.
I am and I always was talking about the recovery here, not the running LOS system, that you run every day to make any use of your phone at all. From my point of view, as a Linux user, booting into recovery is like taking a secondary boot device, eg a USB memory, and starting another Linux system that is completely independent of the one that my PC is running in normal cases. Using this secondary Linux I can do anything to the system and the hard drive that I want, regardless of permissions. I can re-install the boot manager, I can copy or delete files, I can repair the file system, and, most important: I can create images and snapshots of the system that will serve as an lifeline, a certain point in time that I can return to if it should become necessary.
My question was and still is, why a custom recovery like TWRP can include this function, but the recovery made by LOS can or will not do so, or if there is a chance that the LOS recovery will include this function in the future.
Again: I am not talking (and I never was) about making root available in LOS.
@dvdram
...
My question was and still is, why a custom recovery like TWRP can include this function, but the recovery made by LOS can or will not do so, or if there is a chance that the LOS recovery will include this function in the future.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wondering why you don't ask this question to the developers of LineageOS?
jwoegerbauer said:
@dvdram
Wondering why you don't ask this question to the developers of LineageOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silly me! I actually believed there would be developers reading this forum. How could I mistaken this statement on the starting page:
"XDA Developers was founded by developers, for developers."
I guess the word "developers" must have another meaning than I have always believed. Thank you for showing me my wrong!
I have never used a Pixel phone, but I am strongly considering a Pixel 6 now. I want to root the phone using Magisk **and** I want to successfully hide root. Furthermore, I want to be able to install some modules in an Xposed-like framework such as LSPosed, and I want the existence of that XPosed-like framework also to be hidden. Ever since Android 11, it's been complicated and confusing to figure out how to accomplish all of this in a reliable manner, given the latest changing versions of Magisk and given the various root-hiding mechanisms that are now offered, and which are also now still in development.
There is a huge amount of information about this general topic in the following threads ...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/magisk-general-support-discussion.3432382/page-2689#post-87696219
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/discussion-magisk-the-age-of-zygisk.4393877/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...r-unofficial-third-party-magisk-fork.4460555/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/lsposed-xposed-framework-8-1-13-0-simple-magisk-module.4228973/
... however, there are collectively more than 50,000 messages in this group of threads, and for me, this fits into the category of "Too Much Information", especialy given that much of this info is contradictory, with different people reporting success and others reporting failure, and different people reporting slightly different versions of the same procedures.
The reason I'm posting here is that I'm wondering of anyone has successfully accomplished what I'm trying to do with a Pixel 6 under Android 11 or Android 12, and if so, whether that person (or people) might be willing to share a straightforward, step-by-step, cookbook-like set of instructions about how to accomplish all of this from beginning to end.
By "beginning to end", I mean to start with a brand new locked Pixel 6 and to install all of the software and features that I described above, with the end result being a reliably rooted Pixel 6 (with root reliably hidden) running some sort of XPosed-like framework under Android 11 or Android 12, and which can be consistently rebooted with no boot loops.
If that is considered off-topic here, I'm glad to take this into private chat.
Thank you very much in advance for any help that you might be able to offer.
What he said, but instead of android 11 or 12, give me one for 13 please.
Oh! I somehow overlooked the following thread when I first came here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...nlock-bootloader-pass-safetynet-more.4388733/
It covers a lot of the information I'm looking for.
I will soon dig into that thread in more detail, and if it indeed ends up explaining everything that I want to learn, then I will abandon this current thread.
But for the moment, I'll keep this thread alive.
I can confirm my rooted Pixel 6 running 13 passes SafetyNet check and is certified in the Play app following those instructions. However, Google is not using SafetyNet to check for an unlocked bootloader in their apps anymore. GPay complains about device security and there are some apps that I can't download. Netflix, Hulu. Other than GApp and having to sideload Netflix, I don't have any issues.
Here's a thread about the new security check.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/discussion-play-integrity-api.4479337/
anyone having issues with some apps detecting root even after magiskhide should try the shamiko module. helped me
few stupid questions regarding rooting my pixel 6 .....
1) its new unlocked phone, should i have the new SIM in phone when rooting, does it matter ?
ok to put it when its done ?
same question for being signed into Google account when rooting, does it even matter, either way ?
2) is there a way to get the pixel phone transfer to show back up, or a way to access it ?
Its very easy for me to transfer all backed up data from my current Pixel 3 that way...
3) can I still run my banking & crypto apps once rooted ? I have read conflicting reports on this... elsewhere that is.
Thank y'all for the awesome information ya provide on here, and Thank You in advance if you have any input for me rooting...
Its amazing how far along we've come along since my bag phone
kengel1969 said:
few stupid questions regarding rooting my pixel 6 .....
1) its new unlocked phone, should i have the new SIM in phone when rooting, does it matter ?
ok to put it when its done ?
same question for being signed into Google account when rooting, does it even matter, either way ?
2) is there a way to get the pixel phone transfer to show back up, or a way to access it ?
Its very easy for me to transfer all backed up data from my current Pixel 3 that way...
3) can I still run my banking & crypto apps once rooted ? I have read conflicting reports on this... elsewhere that is.
Thank y'all for the awesome information ya provide on here, and Thank You in advance if you have any input for me rooting...
Its amazing how far along we've come along since my bag phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No, yes, no
2. Yes, kind of
3. Yes with safetynet module and magisk deny list, and sometimes magisk props.
Read @Volatyle's and @Homeboy76's guides. Great info in both.
It would be better if you explained what your end result is. Hiding root can be very difficult; depending on the app requirements, simply having an unlocked bootloader can be enough, because an unlocked device will always fail hardware backed attestation.
If you're simply trying to get apps like Google Pay to work, you should need to do nothing more than install Displax's modded USNF module, and enforce DenyList on the Play Store and Play Protect service.
If on the other hand you're trying to use apps that specifically detect the presence of Magisk, then you may need to hide the Magisk app. As far as hiding the presence of root itself, I am unsure as to whether any app without root privileges can detect whether an SU binary is installed. Someone like @pndwal would know better than I would.